Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with housing associations in South Liverpool on the potential effect of the introduction of universal credit on tenants' ability to make rental payments.

We work extensively with stakeholders, including housing associations in South Liverpool, to support Universal Credit claimants to pay their rent. Several Liverpool based housing associations are enrolled as Trusted Partners on the Landlord Portal, including Riverside Housing which took part in the Trusted Partner Pilot, and which was one of the first housing associations to enrol on the Landlord Portal. Jobcentres in Liverpool have been working closely with a wide range of partners including Registered Social Landlords throughout the preparation and delivery stages of Universal Credit, to help tenants and identify areas where further support may be required.

The best way to ensure people pay their rent is to help them into work. Under Universal Credit, people are moving into work faster and staying in work longer than under the previous system. The changes announced as part of the £1.5bn package of improvements in the Autumn 2017 Budget support claimants during the first assessment period to prevent them from falling into arrears while their claim is assessed.